Cops and Robbers
by Cajun Quinn
Summary: This story introduces two original characters, brings back to life a thief who is supposed to be dead, and deals with family reunions and life-changing decisions. Aw, forget a summary! Just read and review please! Please??
1. Prologue

Cops and Robbers

(NOTE: Any members of the New Orleans Thieves Guild that you recognize from my other stories (or, indeed, issues of Gambit) belong to Marvel. So does Etienne Marceaux, who is supposed to be dead, but isn't for the sake of this story. I'm just borrowing them all. The two main characters in the story, Rory Alouette and Dani Potier, along with their parents (Pierre and Yvonne Alouette and Andre and Nadine Potier) are my own creations and are therefore owned by me. You can't have 'em, sorry! At any rate, this story idea was bouncing around in my head for awhile and I decided to go with it. You'll see why it's called Cops and Robbers eventually, I promise. There is a method to my madness. Usually, anyway.)

Prologue

New Orleans, LA, Sept. 1976

"Nadine, what are we goin' to do?" Yvonne Alouette asked her good friend Nadine Potier. Yvonne's young son Genard was playing with his toy trucks on the living room floor while Nadine helped Yvonne fold laundry.

The little boy looked up when he heard his mother's question. "What are you gon' do 'bout what, Mama?" he asked, his big brown eyes wide and curious behind his glasses. He was only five years old, and had no idea that his world was about to be turned upside down.

Yvonne smiled warmly down at her son and ruffled his blond hair. "Never you mind, petit. Why don' you go an' play wit' your trucks in de sandbox?"

Genard smiled and stood up. "'Kay. Bye Mrs. Potier."

"Au revoir, Genard." Nadine replied. The two women watched the small boy leave the room with his trucks and Nadine sighed. "I remember when Claude was his age. Seems like it was so long ago."

"It _was_ a long time ago, Nadine. Claude's all grown up now, an' a full member of de Guild at dat. You mus' be so proud of him." Yvonne said, picking up a pile of folded towels and taking them to the closet.

"I am. He's turned into a fine young man." Nadine sighed, looking down at her growing belly. "Yvonne, I don' want my daughter growin' up in dis life. It's hard 'nough for de boys to do it, but de girls would have it a lot harder."

"Which brings me back to my question. What are we goin' to do?" Yvonne asked. "Remember, you aren' de only one 'round here who's pregnant. I don' want my daughter growin' up 'round de Guild either."

"Dere's only one t'ing I know dat _I_ can do," Nadine replied. "I'm leavin', Yvonne. I don' have a choice. I'm goin' to go to Los Angeles. I've already talked to Jean-Luc 'bout it, an' he t'inks it's for de best, if I want to keep my daughter safe."

Yvonne raised her eyebrows. "What 'bout Andre? An' Claude? Do dey know? What do dey t'ink 'bout it?"

"Dey don' like it much, mais dey're acceptin' it." Nadine replied. "I t'ink Andre's havin' a harder time wit' it den Claude is. Dey both know dat to keep her safe, I have to leave dem."

Yvonne was silent for a few moments, lost in thought. She hated the idea of leaving Genard…he was just a little boy…but she knew that Pierre and the other members of the Guild would take care of him. She knew that Genard would grow up to be a full member of the Guild the way Claude had, they way they all had. "I'm gon' wit' you, Nadine." She said finally.

"Are you sure? I mean once we go, we can' come back, you know dat, don' you?" Nadine replied.

"I know." Yvonne said, resting a hand on her belly. "I hate to leave Genard, but I know he'll be okay. He might even understand someday."

***

Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 1977

"It's hard to b'lieve it's been a year." Nadine commented. She and Yvonne were sitting at the kitchen table in their airy Los Angeles split-level house, drinking coffee and reminiscing. 

"Quite a year, too." Yvonne agreed, smiling down at the two infant girls attempting to play pat-a-cake on the kitchen floor near them. "I wish…"

Nadine followed her friend's gaze. "I do too. It would be great if Andre and Claude could know Dani. An' I know you'd love to have Pierre an' Genard know Rory. But we both knew when we did dis dat we wouldn' be able to go back."

"Maybe someday, de girls will go. It might be too late for dem to know deir fathers, but dey could still get to know deir brothers." Yvonne suggested. "I don' t'ink we should tell dem 'bout de Guild until dey start askin' questions, t'ough. It's a bit of a touchy subject."

"I agree." Nadine replied.

***

Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 1983

"How was school, girls?" Yvonne asked when the two little girls came into the living room after school one day. 

The girls dropped their backpacks on the floor by the couch and climbed up to sit with Yvonne, one on either side. They were in kindergarten at the local elementary school, and were weeks away from their sixth birthdays.

"Fine." Dani replied vaguely. She and Rory, who was three weeks younger than her, had some questions they wanted to ask their mothers, but weren't sure how to do it.

"Mama?" Rory asked, seeing that Dani wasn't saying anything. "The teacher was talking about families in school today, and all the other kids had fathers and brothers and sisters. How come Dani and I don't?"

Yvonne sighed quietly so the girls wouldn't notice and looked up. Nadine was standing in the doorway and had heard Rory's question. Neither woman was looking forward to the conversation they were about to have with their daughters. Nadine went over and sat down with them on the couch, pulling Dani into her lap.

"You do." She said. "You both do. Your fathers live in Louisiana, which is a long way from here. Dat's where we used to live."

Yvonne smiled. "You each also have an older brother. Dey live in Louisiana as well."

"How come they live there, and we live here?" Rory asked.

"B'fore you two were born, we decided to move here for your own safety." Nadine replied. "You see, our fam'lies are part of what's known as the New Orleans T'ieves Guild, an' de lifestyle dey lead is a very dangerous one. We didn' want you two involved in dat."

"We wanted to keep you away from it, an' movin' was de only way to do it." Yvonne continued.

"Mama?" Dani asked. "Tell me about my brother." Louisiana and Thieves Guilds meant nothing to her, she wanted to know about her big brother, whom she had never met.

"Well," Nadine replied. "His name is Claude, an' he jus' turned twenty-six years old a month ago. Go look in de mirror."

"Why?" Dani asked, sliding off her mother's lap and running over to the mirror.

Nadine followed her and stood behind her small daughter with a smile on her face. "Look at yourself. You look like him, 'specially your eyes. You have de same hair color too." 

"Cool!" Dani replied. "When can I meet him?"

Nadine ruffled her daughter's thick brown hair and sighed. "Unless he comes out here, you won' be able to meet him until you grow up, petite, I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Dani said.

A few minutes later, when the two girls were sitting at the kitchen table doing their homework, Nadine and Yvonne had a conference in the living room.

"Did you tell Rory 'bout Genard?" Nadine asked.

"Oui. I t'ink she's a little upset dat I left him dere when he was so young, but she's also very anxious to meet him someday." Yvonne replied.

"Dani wants to meet Claude too. I t'ink once dey do meet someday, dey an' de boys will be able to get along very well. I see a lot of Claude an' Genard in dem." Nadine commented.

"So do I. It's a nice t'ing to see, too."

***

New Orleans, LA, Aug. 1983

"Claude?" twelve-year-old Genard asked, standing tentatively beside the chair his friend was sitting in.

"Oui, Genard? What is it?" Claude replied, putting the book he was reading down and giving his young friend a smile.

"Our moms aren' comin' back, are dey?" 

Claude sighed. "No, dey're not."

Genard thought about that for a moment before continuing. "Does dat bother you?"

"Sometimes, oui." Claude told him. "I miss my mom a lot, an' I know you miss yours. But I know why dey went, an' I t'ink dey did de right t'ing, given de circumstances."

"What do you mean?" Genard wanted to know.

"I mean dat our two little sisters, who are both six years old right now, have a better life, a _safer_ life, b'cause dey're in Los Angeles instead of here. Our moms left b'cause dey wanted to keep de girls safe. Dere's not'ing wrong wit' dat."

"But dey _left_ us!"

Claude reached up and put a hand on Genard's shoulder. "Yeah, dey did. But someday, when dose two little girls are grown up, we might be able to meet de reasons why."

"Yeah…"

***

Madrid, Spain, sometime in 1991

"He's in here, Mr. LeBeau." The voice said. Thirteen-year-old Etienne Marceaux sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around his legs. He wasn't exactly scared of Jean-Luc LeBeau…the big man _was_ his uncle after all…but he felt like a failure, and didn't know what was going to happen next.

Jean-Luc entered the room and looked at his young nephew, trying to put a stern expression on his face, but not quite succeeding. "Come here." He said, holding his arms out to the boy.

Etienne got off the bed and automatically brushed his hair out of his blue eyes. He went over to his uncle and felt safe for the first time since he and Remy had gotten separated trying to escape from the Pig.

"I'm sorry…" he sobbed into Jean-Luc's chest.

"Shhhh." Jean-Luc replied, running a hand through Etienne's blond hair. "It's not your fault. I'm jus' glad you're okay."

Etienne looked up at Jean-Luc, tears swimming in his eyes. "I can' go back to Nawlins, can I? I mean, I failed de tilling…"

"I know dat. Technically, you _could_ go back, mais, I t'ink it would be better if you didn'. I'm gon' take you to California. A couple of ladies who live dere will take care of you. I've already spoken to dem 'bout it."

Etienne was apprehensive. "Who are dey?"

Jean-Luc smiled as he and his nephew walked out of the hospital. "Dey are Claude's an' Genard's mothers. Dey moved to Los Angeles back in 1976, to keep deir daughters safe. De two girls are a year older den you. Claude an' Genard have never seen dem, but dat doesn' mean dey never will. Don' worry, Et. You'll be in good hands. I wouldn' leave you wit' dem if I didn' trust dem completely."

"Okay. Um…" Etienne faltered. "What are you gon' tell everyone?"

Jean-Luc sighed. That was going to be the hardest part when he got back home to New Orleans. "I'll either tell dem dat you're dead, or missin'. I don' really know right at de moment. I'll know when I get dere."

"Remy, Emil…Theo…I'm never gon' see dem 'gain, am I?" Etienne said softly, the tears welling up in his eyes again.

"Oh, I t'ink you will, Et. Someday, after you've grown up." Jean-Luc replied.

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter One

Cops and Robbers

Chapter One

Los Angeles, CA, Present Day

"Girls, I got a question for ya." Etienne said, bouncing into Dani's room one evening in late February. Dani was sprawled on her bed, Rory was stretched out on the floor, leaning against the bed. They both looked up at their friend.

"What is it?" Rory asked, lazily flipping through an old copy of People magazine she found on the desk.

Etienne spun the chair at the desk and straddled it, resting his arms on the back of it, his blond hair falling into his eyes as it had a tendency to do. "What do you two want for your birthday?"

Rory contemplated the question for a few moments, forgetting the magazine. It was five weeks until her birthday, two until Dani's. They had always celebrated the birthdays together, usually sometime in between the two. Usually when Et or their mothers asked them what they wanted, it was easy to find an answer. But this time, Rory had no ideas. She craned her neck and looked at Dani.

"I don't have any ideas, do you Dan?" she asked.

Dani rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling, pillowing her head in her hands. "As a matter of fact, yeah. I don't know if we'll be able to pull it off though."

"What are you t'inking of?" Etienne pondered aloud, spinning in the chair. "We're not exactly rich you know? We can't do anyt'ing too extravagant."

"If our moms help we can." Dani replied. "Guys, what do you say we treat ourselves to a little vacation? We can all chip in the money, so it won't entirely be a birthday present, and we'll ask our moms to chip in some too."

"You mean…go to New Orleans?" Rory asked, her brown eyes widening.

"Yeah. Rory, think about it. You and I have always wanted to go there and meet our brothers. The only thing we know about them is what our mothers have told us, and what Et can remember from when he was a kid. And Et, you haven't seen your brother or any of them in ten years. I think it's high time we took a little trip there." Dani replied.

"That is an incredible idea, Dani!" Rory exclaimed. "You think our moms will go for it?"

"I think they've been waiting for us to come up with this plan since we turned eighteen, Ro. I think they'll be okay with it." Dani commented.

***

"Can we talk to you for a minute?" Rory asked as she, Dani and Etienne entered the living room. Yvonne muted the television, and she and Nadine looked at the three young adults with curious expressions.

"Of course you can. What is it?" Nadine replied, motioning for them to take a seat. They sat in a row on the couch and then continued.

"We have an idea, but we're going to need your help financially." Dani began. "If, you agree to let us do it, that is."

"What's your idea?" Yvonne asked. She and Nadine exchanged glances. They could already guess what the idea was, and, as Dani had suggested to Rory and Etienne, they had been waiting for it for years.

"We want to go to New Orleans." Rory explained. "All three of us, together. We can pay for part of the expenses, but not all of it. Can we? And will you help us?"

Nadine and Yvonne both sighed. Even though they had been waiting for it, it still blew their minds. "How long would you be going for?" Nadine asked.

"Two weeks, tops." Etienne said. "We have lives here, we don' want to give dat up. But de girls want to meet Claude an' Genard, an' I want to see Theoren 'gain. Not to mention Remy an' Emil."

"We decided a long time ago that if you wanted to go, we would support you and help you in any way we could," Yvonne told them. "That still stands. If you can get the time off work, you can go, we'll take care of the finances."

"You'll take care of the finances?" Dani asked, green eyes wide.

"Yes. Save your money for spending money." Yvonne replied.

"Thanks…" the three young people said in unison. This was much more than they ever could have anticipated. Now all they had to do was get the time off work and they'd be all set to go.

***

Captain Christopher Garner sat in the plush chair behind his desk and wondered what he had done on that day in a past life to have three of his best people standing before him all asking for the same two weeks off.

Garner was a captain with the LAPD. He was the head of the special investigations unit, or SIU. And even though they were all still in their early twenties, Etienne Marceaux, Victoria Alouette and Danielle Potier were three of the best investigators he had on his force. They had joined the Police Academy in December 1995, just after Etienne's eighteenth birthday, and were assigned to Garner's force six months later. In the years since, they had proven themselves time and again to be exceptional officers and investigators.

Garner sighed. "You all want the same two weeks off, from March 17th to the 31st. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Sir." Rory replied.

"And why are all three of you requesting the same time off, if I may ask?" Garner asked.

"Captain, I have family in New Orleans I haven' seen in ten years." Etienne explained. "Rory an' Dani have family dere dey've never even met. We would like to go dere for a little vacation an' see dem."

"Well, much as I hate to let you three go, even for two weeks, I can't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to visit your families." Garner told them. "I'm sure we can handle things without you for awhile."

"Thank you, Captain." Dani said with a smile.

***

"You know, it's going to be awkward for us there." Rory commented two weeks later while she and Dani were packing for their trip.

"I was thinking about that." Dani replied, trying to decide if she had enough pairs of socks packed. "We're cops. Even Etienne is, and he spent the first thirteen years of his life being trained as a thief. It's going to be weird."

"Maybe we shouldn't tell them." Rory suggested. "I mean no harm could come from not telling them what we do for a living, could it?"

"I don't think so. They're the New Orleans Thieves Guild. We're LAPD investigators. It might be difficult to not tell them, but it's not like we're going there to arrest them. Although we might have to defend them..." Dani said.

"An' if we defend dem, we might lose our jobs if de people here find out." Etienne added, walking in and plopping down on the bed.

The three young people were silent for a few moments after Etienne made that comment, each lost in his or her own thoughts. They each knew that if it came down to it, if they ended up helping the thieves in any way, they would have to choose between returning to Los Angeles and staying in New Orleans. The whole trip might end up being an elaborate game of cops and robbers, only this game would involve the real lives of real people. No toy guns allowed.

***

New Orleans, LA, Present Day

Tante Mattie Baptiste stood at the window in her kitchen and stared into the backyard. She had been restless for nearly two weeks. Something was going to happen, and soon, but Mattie had no real idea what. She knew it had something to do with the thieves, and her gut instincts told her it was going to effect the lives of some of the thieves very deeply.

Mattie wasn't worried. She trusted the thieves; she cared for them all the way a mother cares for her children. And even though things had been rocky since the unification between the Thieves Guild and their long-time enemies the Assassins Guild, Mattie knew that whatever was going to happen, it would be a good thing, and it would take everyone's minds off the problems with the assassins.

As Mattie stared out her kitchen window, she was hit with a revelation. In her mind's eye, she saw Etienne, who she had always known was still alive…she was the only one to whom Jean-Luc had told the truth about the true fate of the young man. She also saw two young women, whom she correctly guessed to be Victoria Alouette and Danielle Potier. She didn't know why she was seeing visions of the three young people; she had never met the two girls, and she hadn't seen Etienne in ten years.

"Whatever's gon' happen, it involves dem." She mused aloud. "I jus' hope it all works out."

To Be Continued


	3. Chapter Two

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Two

L.A.X., Los Angeles, CA., Present Day

The line for the baggage check counters was so long even six-foot tall Etienne couldn't see the end of it. They felt like they'd been standing in line forever. They already had their plane tickets, they just need to check their bags and then go wait at the gate. They were still amazed that Yvonne and Nadine had paid for the trip, but they stopped questioning it weeks before. Even more amazing was the fact that Yvonne and Nadine were both standing in line with them, in spite of the length of it.

After what seemed like an eternity surrounded by impatient teenagers, screaming children and adults who seemed lost in their own world, it was finally their turn to check their bags. Once they had done so and found out what gate they were to go to, they went to the security check stop.

"We can't go any further," Nadine said. "Only people going on the planes can go to the gates."

"I'll wait for you guys on the other side of the security check," Etienne told the girls, knowing they probably wanted to talk to their mothers in private. He took off every metal object he had, including his police badge, and handed it all to the security people. They had decided to take the badges with them, just in case they were needed. They thought it was best to be prepared for anything.

Dani and Rory looked at their mothers. This was the first time either of the two girls had been away from Nadine and Yvonne aside from the six months they spent training at the Police Academy in Seattle.

"You're in for an interesting two weeks, for sure." Yvonne said. "New Orleans is a lot different from Los Angeles, you'll realize that very quickly. I just hope the Guild doesn't end up being opposed to your coming."

"The Guild won't oppose them, I don't think, Yvonne." Nadine argued. "After all, Claude and Genard are members of that Guild."

"We'll be fine. Don't worry about it. We can take care of ourselves if anything goes wrong. We're trained to do that kind of thing." Rory reminded them.

Yvonne hugged her daughter. "We know. Would you do us a couple of favors, though?"

"Sure." Dani replied, following Rory's lead and giving her own mother a good-bye hug. 

"First, call us when you get there, so we'll know you arrived okay." Nadine said. "Second, say hello to Claude and Genard for us, tell them we love them, and we think about them every day."

"No problem." Rory said. "Anything else?"

"Oui." Yvonne replied, reverting briefly to French. "Take lots of pictures, so when you get back, we can see what our boys look like."

Dani and Rory laughed. "Okay. We can do that." They said in unison.

"Hey girls!" Etienne yelled from the other side of the security system. "We gotta go! C'mon!"

The two girls said final good-byes to their mothers, took off all the metal objects they could find, badges included, and easily went through the security check.

The three friends walked down the endless hallways, following the signs to the gates. When they found the gate they needed, they sat down on the benches and waited for their plane to show up so they could board and be really on their way to Louisiana.

"Can I have your attention please? Flight 107 to New Orleans, Louisiana will be ready for boarding in fifteen minutes. Please have your boarding passes ready." The attendant announced over the P.A. system half an hour later.

"Thank God." Rory said. She hated waiting for anything, and waiting on an uncomfortable airport bench surrounded by rambunctious children was driving her crazy.

"Hard to believe we're finally going after all these years, huh?" Dani commented, checking her pocket for the seventh time to make sure she still had her boarding pass.

"For Pete's sake, Dani, you haven't left your seat in half an hour! You haven't lost your pass!" Rory exclaimed, giggling at her friend. "And yeah, it is hard to believe. I just hope we're not disappointed."

Etienne, who had been strangely quiet since they found their gate, looked at his two friends and smiled. "You won' be. Your brothers are good people. Hell, dey're all good people. Dey jus' happen to be t'ieves."

"Et, are you anxious about going back?" Rory asked suddenly.

Etienne sighed. "A little. My uncle, Jean-Luc, who was de patriarch of de Guild den, I'm not sure if he still is now, sent me here to protect me after I failed at de job dat would have gotten me into de Guild as a full member. He told ev'ryone I was dead, as far as I know. He even told my brother an' my two best friends dat. I didn' t'ink I'd ever go back, mais Jean-Luc said he t'ought I would someday. An' I guess he was right."

"It'll be fine, Et." Dani told him, taking his hand in hers. Etienne was like a younger brother to both girls; the three were partners in the S.I.U., and closer than best friends. Ten years of living and working together did that to people. Etienne had commented once that the Guild was like that too. The members were as close as siblings, not merely friends or teammates.

***

"Would you like to purchase headphones so you can watch the movie?" The stewardess asked.

"What movie are you playing?" Dani replied. She, Rory and Etienne looked at the stewardess curiously. They had a long flight ahead of them and were hoping it was a good movie that they'd actually want to watch.

"Today, we're playing Raiders of the Lost Ark." The stewardess told them with a patient smile. She must have been asked that question at least fifteen times since she started handing out the headphones.

The three friends looked at each other and then back at the stewardess. "Cool!" they said in unison.

"We'll take the headsets. How much are they?" Rory asked.

They bought the headphones and settled back to watch the movie. When it was over, they were served lunch. They stared silently at the plates that were put in front of them for a few moments. Finally, Etienne said,

"What's is dis stuff?"

"It's food, Et." Dani grimaced.

Etienne rolled his blue eyes. "I know dat, Dani. But what _is_ it?"

"Looks like chicken." Rory contributed. "Do you think we should eat it?"

"I'll eat de roll an' de rice…" Etienne said. "But I don' know 'bout de rest of it."

"Sounds like a plan." Dani agreed, as Rory nodded. The three ate the food they dared to eat, and left the rest to be taken to the garbage bin. If there was a garbage bin on the airplane. They weren't sure about anything on the plane at that point.

***

New Orleans International Airport, New Orleans, LA, Present Day

Two and a half hours after they ate their 'meal' the plane landed at the airport in New Orleans, and the passengers were starting to depart. Dani, Rory and Etienne followed the other passengers out of the plane, all of them feeling a bit apprehensive about what they were doing. They hadn't been all that nervous before, because they had things to occupy their minds. Now that they were actually _in_ New Orleans, it was quite a different story.

As they stepped out into the bright New Orleans sunshine after collecting their bags, they stopped at the curb and looked around.

"Well, this is it." Rory commented, squinting. She almost laughed. It was ironic that the sunshine in Louisiana should cause her to squint when the sunshine in California hardly ever did. And it was the same sunshine.

"Et, do you know where…?" Dani's voice trailed off as a cab pulled up. 

"Oui. I know jus' where we should go. Get in." Etienne told them. When they got into the cab, the driver looked at Etienne. 

"Where to, mon ami?" he asked in a thick, pleasant Cajun accent. 

"276 Esplanade Avenue." Etienne told him.

"Who lives there?" Rory asked, buckling her seatbelt.

Etienne smiled. "A very kind old lady who won' mind if we show up at her door lookin' for a place to stay."


	4. Chapter Three

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Three

New Orleans, LA, Present Day

The cab pulled up into the driveway of a quaint little house. Rory and Dani immediately loved the house; its charm instantly drew them to it. It was elegant and simple, something they didn't often see in Los Angeles.

"Here we are, folks. Dat's $6.45." the driver said. Etienne handed him the correct change and a tip while the girls started to get the bags out of the trunk.

As they started to haul their bags up the walk to the front door of the house, the door suddenly opened as if by magic. The girls stopped and stared, unsure what to do or say. Etienne's face broke into a huge grin. Suddenly, he knew he was home. 

Standing in the doorway was a woman with long black hair and a kind face. She was wearing a yellow flowered dress, with a matching yellow headband around her head, and dangly earrings. She stepped out onto the porch, her dark eyes glowing with happiness.

"Etienne…." She whispered, silently thanking God that he had finally come home. Aloud she said, "Chil' put dose bags down an' come give yer Tante Mattie a hug."

Etienne did as he was told and joined Mattie on the porch. "I missed you, Tante."

"An' I missed you too, Chil'. I been waitin' for dis day for a long time." Mattie replied, holding him at arms length and smiling with pride. "Well jus' look at how you've grown up!" 

"Aww, Tante, stop scrutinizin' me…" Etienne complained. But he didn't really mean it. He was so happy to be back in New Orleans that he didn't care if all the world wanted to stare at him. "I want you to meet de girls."

Tante Mattie looked at the two girls, who were standing on her walkway looking like they didn't know what to do next. She went down the steps and stood before them. She turned to Dani first.

"You are Danielle Potier." Mattie said simply.

Dani's eyes widened. "Yeah…but how did you…? I mean you've never seen either one of us, how could you possibly know which one of us was which?"

Mattie smiled at the girls. "Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn'. Mais, I've known both your brothers since dey were born, an' you look like dem."

"I look like Genard?" Rory asked. "Mom never told me that."

"Oui, you do, Victoria. Although not as much as Danielle here looks like Claude. De resemblance is truly uncanny." Mattie confirmed.

Both girls squirmed. Mattie looked at Etienne, confused. Etienne just laughed.

"Call dem Dani an' Rory, Tante. Dey don' often use deir full names."

Mattie nodded, understanding. "Ah. I see. Okay, Dani an' Rory it is. Now, let me help you wit' your bags. Don' worry 'bout findin' a place to stay, b'cause until your brothers say otherwise, you can stay here wit' me."

"Are you sure?" Dani and Rory asked in unison.

"Sure she's sure. B'lieve me, she wouldn' make de offer if she wasn'." Etienne told them as the four took the bags into the house.

***

"Now. Are you hungry? I'm sure dey didn' feed you all dat well on de plane…is dere anyt'ing I can get you?" Tante Mattie asked after she had shown her three guests their rooms and they had put their bags away to be unpacked later.

"Dey didn'." Dani confirmed. "It was hardly edible."

"Well, I have some chicken gumbo I could warm up for you, if you'd like." Mattie suggested, motioning for them to sit at the kitchen table.

"Chicken…?" Rory asked quietly, remembering the airplane food and blanching.

"Oh, Tante's chicken gumbo is de best on de planet, you have to try it!" Etienne told them. "Tante, dat would be fine. Dere's no need for you to go t'rough any trouble right now, we jus' got here."

"Don' talk nonsense, Chil'!" Tante scolded. "You haven' been here in ten years, an' de girls here have never been here. I will make all de fuss I want to over you!"

"Oh, Tante, you really don't have to…" Rory faltered.

Etienne cast her a warning glance. "Ro, don'." He said. "She does have to."

"Why?" Dani asked.

"B'cause she wants to. An' she can. Dis is one woman who can do whatever she wants to. An' no one questions it." Etienne explained.

Twenty minutes later, as they were sitting around the kitchen table, eating gumbo and talking with Tante Mattie, who was telling them about the Guild unification and Jean-Luc's sudden departure, there was a brief knock on the door.

Mattie excused herself and went to answer it, leaving the three friends in the kitchen.

"Wow…she's so nice!" Dani exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Etienne replied. "She is very nice. One of de nicest people in de world. I can' b'lieve de Guilds are unified…what is dis world comin' to?"

"I don't know, Et, but I'm sure we'll get to find out all about it in time." Dani joked as Tante Mattie came back into the room, followed by a tall dark haired man, who was aware that Mattie had guests, but was unaware of who they were.

As he walked into the room behind his friend, Theoren Marceaux stopped in astonishment at who was sitting in front of him. His dark eyes filled with tears and as his jaw dropped, he covered his mouth with one hand. He could only say one thing.

"Oh mon dieu…Etienne…"


	5. Chapter Four

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Four

"Hi Theo." Etienne said softly, standing up, his gumbo forgotten. He hadn't expected to see his brother that soon, and it threw him off, but he made the best of it. They both did.

In a state of shock, Theoren looked at Tante Mattie. "Am I dreamin'?"

Mattie chuckled softly. "Non, Chil', you're not dreamin'. I know Jean-Luc tol' ev'ryone dat Etienne was dead, mais he told me de truth. I've always known dis would happen someday."

Theoren and Etienne stared at each other. Theoren couldn't get over how grown up his baby brother was. The last time he'd seen Etienne, the kid was only thirteen years old. Now, ten years later, a tall, well-poised young man was standing before him and Theoren was amazed.

Rory got impatient with the two brothers. "Well are you gonna hug or what?"

Etienne laughed. "She has a point." He said to Theoren, who nodded.

"Oui, dat she does. C'mere, kid." Theoren replied, wrapping his arms around his little brother, feeling like the luckiest man on the planet at that moment. 

When the hug finally ended, Mattie got Theoren a bowl of gumbo and he joined them all at the table, the look of astonishment never leaving his face. Etienne introduced him to Dani and Rory.

"Theo, dese are my best friends, Dani Potier an' Rory Alouette. Jean-Luc sent me to live wit' dem ten years ago, deir moms took care of me."

Theoren studied the two girls. "Oh dear Lord…Claude an' Genard are gon' flip over dis. Dey've been waitin' to meet you two for, well, all your lives! It's really nice to meet you…although I feel bad 'bout getting to meet you b'fore dey do…"

Rory giggled. "You can always go get them and bring them here before anyone else shows up, so we can meet them next."

"Oui, I can, an' I prob'ly will, when I get dis gumbo finished." Theoren replied. He kept looking at Dani, who was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Let me guess," she said. "I look uncannily like Claude and you can't get over it."

Theoren blushed slightly and found he couldn't put into words what he thought of that. "It…you…he…you're…yeah!"

Etienne laughed. "Oh way to express yourself dere bro."

"Hey be t'ankful I'm expressin' myself as well as I am!" Theoren returned, also laughing. "Dis is turnin' into quite de day."

***

"I'm nervous." Rory admitted a little while later. She, Dani and Etienne were sitting in the living room with Tante Mattie. Theoren had gone to get Claude and Genard so they could finally meet their little sisters after twenty-four years.

"You too?" Dani replied. "I feel like there's a whole fleet of butterflies doing the Macarena in my stomach."

"Girls, dere is not'ing to be nervous 'bout, although I can see why you would be." Tante Mattie told them. "Claude an' Genard are very nice boys, an' dey are gon' be jus' t'rilled to meet you after all dis time."

"Is Theoren going to tell them why he's taking them here?" Rory wanted to know.

Tante Mattie shook her head. "He got a surprise when he walked in an' saw Etienne, an' he wants dem to get surprised as well. It adds to de reunion, I t'ink."

"Yeah, I can see how it would. But I'm still nervous." Dani commented.

Etienne chuckled. "How do you t'ink I feel? A little later, I'm gon' be seein' my two best friends for de first time in ten years…an' one of dem has always b'lieved he was responsible for my death. It's gon' be hard."

"It will be easier den you t'ink, Chil'." Mattie comforted. "Trust me."

"You know I do, Tante."

***

"Theo, what's dis all 'bout?" Genard asked as he and Claude followed their friend up the walk to Tante Mattie's house.

"Yeah…" Claude agreed. "We were kinda busy."

"You weren' too busy for dis," Theoren laughed. "B'lieve me guys, it'll be better if you're surprised."

"If you say so…" Genard replied.

Theoren opened the door a bit and looked inside. Getting the okay from Tante Mattie and her guests, Theoren opened the door fully and led his two friends inside.

Both Claude and Genard noticed Etienne first. They looked at Theoren.

"He's alive?!" they said in unison, eyes wide.

Theoren laughed. "Dat's pretty much what I t'ought when I saw him. Apparently, Tante Mattie has always known dat, but Jean-Luc asked her not to tell. Right, Tante?"

"Dat's right, Theoren." Mattie replied with a smile at the three thieves. "Mais, Etienne isn't de real reason Theo brought you two here today."

Dani and Rory had been looking at their brothers since the two men came into the room and they were so excited and nervous they could hardly contain themselves. Dani whispered to Rory,

"My God, I really _do_ look like him!"

Rory giggled. "I can see it!" she whispered back.

Claude realized what was going on and as he looked at Dani, he couldn't help thinking he was looking in a mirror. "Whoa…" he said softly, a smile slowly spreading over his face as it occurred to him just who he was looking at.

Dani returned the smile. "Uh…hi. I'm Dani."

"I know." Claude replied. "I'm jus'…wow. I've been t'inking 'bout dis day for twenty-four years…I…wow…I can' b'lieve you're actually here."

"I'm having a hard time believing I'm here too. I mean it's one thing for Mom to tell me about you, but it's quite another for you to be standing right in front of me. Are you…uh…are you glad I came?"

"Oh Dani…" Claude said softly, moving and sitting down beside her, taking her hand in his. "Of course I am! You're my little sister, how could I be anyt'ing but t'rilled to finally get to know you?"

Across the room, Genard and Rory were having pretty much the same conversation. Theoren and Etienne were talking as well, getting reacquainted with each other. Tante Mattie watched over the three pairs of siblings with a loving expression on her dark features. She wished Jean-Luc were there to see these reunions taking place. He had been the one to help both Claude and Genard through the pain of their mothers leaving them and moving so far away. He had also been the one to counsel Theoren through the "death" of his young brother. She made a mental note to talk to Theoren at a later date about his feelings regarding the truth. As happy as he seemed, she knew this couldn't be easy on him.

Oddly enough, as Theoren was talking to his younger brother, his mind was elsewhere. He wasn't thinking about the fact that Jean-Luc and Tante Mattie had lied to him for ten years. He wasn't even really thinking about Etienne, even though the young man was sitting in front of him. He was thinking about Remy, Jean-Luc's adopted son, the current Guild patriarch. He had always blamed Remy for what he thought had happened to Etienne, and in a large sense if it hadn't been for Remy's mutant powers, it wouldn't have happened in the first place. But now that Theoren knew the truth…

'I t'ink I owe Remy an apology for de way I've been treatin' him for de past decade.' He thought with a slight sigh. That wasn't going to be an easy conversation. He was glad it would be a little while, a few hours at least, before he had to have it. Before that, he had the welcome task of telling Remy and Emil Lapin, who were both Etienne's best friends, that their supposedly dead friend was alive and well.

Even better, he brought two charming young women home to New Orleans with him. And as Theoren glanced at his friends and their sisters talking and laughing with each other, he knew it was going to be a good couple of weeks.


	6. Chapter Five

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Five

"I wonder why Tante Mattie wanted us to come here?" Emil Lapin asked. Remy LeBeau shrugged as he pulled the car into the driveway of Tante Mattie's house. Mattie had called the two and asked that they join her and the others as soon as possible. She didn't give them a reason, but then again, they didn't _need_ one. They always did what Tante Mattie asked, all the thieves did. 

Mattie saw the car pull into the driveway and went out onto the porch. She wanted to prepare the boys for what they were about to find out. It would be a shock to them, Remy especially, to learn that Etienne was still alive.

The two young men got out of the car and joined Mattie on the porch.   
"What's goin' on, Tante?" Remy asked.

Mattie looked at them and contemplated just how much to tell them before letting them go inside.

"I have a couple of t'ings to tell you," she began, deciding to just go with her heart. "Now, Emil, you won' remember dis, b'cause you were only a baby when it happened, but Claude's an' Genard's mothers moved to Los Angeles in late 1976. Dey were both pregnant an' wanted to raise deir daughters away from de Guild life. A few hours ago, dose two girls showed up here, all grown up. So Claude an' Genard are inside, getting to know dem."

"Hey dat's great!" Emil said, his blue eyes lighting up at that news. "Dey told me when I was a kid 'bout deir mothers leavin'. It's really great dat dey're finally getting to know deir sisters."

"It is, chil'. It really is." Mattie replied. "Dey're really happy."

"What's de other t'ing you wanted to tell us?" Remy asked. He was happy about the news of Claude and Genard finally getting to meet their sisters after all the years that had gone by, but he had a feeling, looking at Mattie's face, that the girls weren't the real reason she had asked him and Emil to come over.

Mattie sighed, wishing he wasn't so observant. Theoren had told her that if she wanted to tell them, she could, and she was a little nervous about it. Before she could begin to tell them about Etienne, Theoren came out onto the porch.

"Have you told dem yet?" he asked Mattie, his brown eyes filled with elation and concern at the same time. He, too, was worried about the reactions of his two young friends.

"I told dem 'bout Rory an' Dani," Mattie replied, relieved to get the distraction.

"Oh, okay." Theoren said. "Um…can I tell dem 'bout…?"

Mattie smiled. "Of course." She said, turning and going back into the house to give them some privacy. 

Theoren faced the two young men and raised his eyebrows. "Dis isn' 'xactly easy to talk 'bout."

"Theo, what is it?" Remy asked. "You can tell us."

"Okay. Well, it's like dis. Jean-Luc an' Tante Mattie haven' been honest wit' us for de past few years."

"What are you talkin' 'bout, Theo?" Emil wanted to know.

"Remy, what happened in Spain when you an' Etienne were dere ten years ago?" Theoren asked suddenly, deciding to break the news to them by getting history discussed first.

"We were kidnapped by the Pig an' when I tried to get us out usin' my powers…stupidest t'ing I could've done…we got separated. Papa went dere three weeks later an' came back an' told us Et was dead. Why?" Remy replied.

"Etienne wasn' dead." Theoren replied. "Jean-Luc took him to California to live with Claude's an' Genard's mothers, an' told us he was dead to keep him safe. He's been dere for de past ten years, until today, dat is."

Remy and Emil looked at each other, eyes wide.

"He's alive?!" Remy demanded.

"He's here?!" Emil questioned.

Theoren chuckled. "Yes to both questions. He's inside. He an' de girls are good friends, needless to say, an' dey decided it was high time to pay us a visit."

Emil looked like he didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or cry. He was only two years older than Etienne, and they had grown up together. He had been hit relatively hard by his friend's supposed death, and the idea that it hadn't really happened was overwhelming. Hand on the doorknob, he looked questioningly at Theoren, who just chuckled again.

"Go on, get in dere." Theoren told him, knowing how important this was to Emil. 

Remy went to follow Emil, a pensive look on his face, but Theoren stopped him. "Hang on, Rem," he said with a small sigh, putting his hand on Remy's arm. Remy stopped and looked at him.

"What is it, Theoren?"

"When all dis has died down, could we talk? Dere's somet'ing I have to tell you, but I don' want to keep you right now…"

Remy was confused. He had no idea what Theoren wanted to talk to him about, but he had an idea it had something to do with Etienne. "Sure, Theo. Whenever you want, jus' come find me."

"Okay."

Theoren followed Remy into the house, lost in his own thoughts. He wasn't looking forward to his talk with Remy later, but at least he knew he had some time to figure out what he was going to say, while Emil and Remy were hanging out with Etienne.

***

A few hours later, Theoren found himself helping Tante Mattie make supper for everyone. Mattie noticed his thoughtful and somewhat worried expression and decided it was time to ask him what was going on in his head.

"Is somet'ing wrong, chil'?" she asked.

Theoren sighed. "Dis has been quite de day…I'm so happy dat he's alive, although it's been slightly overwhelming to be talkin' to him, findin' out 'bout his life for de past ten years. Him an' dose girls…dey're like a little mini-guild, dey're so close. Den dere's Emil…I t'ink he was hit almost as hard as I was when we were told Et was dead. He looks so happy out dere; de way dey're carryin' on, it's like de past ten years never happened. Even Remy looked happier den he has in quite awhile."

"Theoren, are you upset dat Jean-Luc an' I kept de truth from you?" Mattie questioned as she tossed the salad.

Theoren plugged in the electric potato masher and looked at her briefly before starting up the masher and mashing the potatoes. "Non. I understand why Jean-Luc did what he did, an' I know it was in Et's best interest dat no one here know he was alive."

"So…why de frown?"

"I haven' been treatin' Remy all dat well in de past ten years. I've been blaming him for what I t'ought was my brother's death, an' now dat we know de truth, I…well…"

"You have to apologize to him for your treatment of him." Mattie finished.

Theoren nodded. "Oui."

"Do you honestly t'ink he's angry wit' you?" Mattie asked. "He's been blamin' himself jus' as much as you have. I t'ink it'll do you both good to talk 'bout it. An' now dat Etienne is here, it's a good time to do it."

"You're right, as always, Tante. How do you manage it?"

Mattie laughed lightly. "Chil', if I knew dat, do you t'ink I'd be here takin' care of a bunch of t'ieves an' assassins?"

"Well for our sakes, I certainly hope so!"

***

"Hey Remy?" Theoren asked. It was after supper and Remy, Emil and Etienne were sitting in the living room. Claude, Genard, Dani and Rory had gone for a walk over to the guild safehouse so the girls could meet Mercy and Zoe, the two female members of the Thieves Guild.

"Oui, Theo?" 

"Can we…uh…?"

"Oh yeah, sure." Remy replied, remembering that Theoren had wanted to talk to him about something. He looked at Emil and Etienne. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

The two men went onto the front porch, closing the door behind them.

"What's on your mind, Theo?" Remy asked, deciding that beating around the bush wouldn't be a good idea.

"Remy, I…I wanted to apologize to you." Theoren admitted.

Remy frowned. "Apologize? Why?"

"Well, ever since dat day Jean-Luc came home an' told us dat Etienne was dead, I've blamed you for what happened, an' now dat we know de truth, I feel bad 'bout de way I've treated you." Theoren explained, leaning on the railing. 

Remy moved and stood beside his friend. "Theo, I've blamed myself jus' as long as you have. My powers were still developing, an' I foolishly t'ought I could control dem enough to use dem to get us out of de situation we were in. I was wrong. An' for de past ten years I've had to live wit' de knowledge dat I was responsible for de death of one of my best friends. Do you know what dat's like?"

Theoren thought for a minute. "Non. I don'. De only best friends I've ever had were Henri an' Claude. Claude's still here, an' de Assassins got Henri."

"Well, de guilt is unbearable. Worse den anyt'ing you could imagine." Remy told him. "Theoren, I'm not stupid. I never once resented you for de way you treated me. I knew what was botherin' you…I would have done de same t'ing if I'd been in your position."

"So…"

"So I don' t'ink you need to apologize. Since you did, I accept. Now stop worryin' 'bout it. He's gon' be here, what, two weeks? I t'ink you, me an' Emil should spend as much of dat time wit' him as we can. You 'specially. He's your brother after all." Remy said.

"So we're good?" Theoren asked, turning and looking at Remy.

"Yeah. We're good. How 'bout we go get dose two in dere an' find somet'ing to do?" Remy replied, heading for the door.

"Sounds good. Hey maybe we could go to dat new club dat jus' opened in de Quarter. Mercy an' Zoe went on Friday, dey said it was a pretty decent place to hang out."


	7. Chapter Six

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Six

"Dis is de life, guys." Etienne commented, leaning back in his chair and taking a swig of his beer. He, Theoren, Remy and Emil were sitting at one of the many round tables in the new club. They were in one of the corners, out of everyone's way; they liked to keep an eye on the rest of the club. "Not one single person in California has any knowledge of zydeco."

"You t'ink de others will show up?" Theoren asked.

Remy nodded. "If dey go back to Tante's house, dey might. I asked her to tell dem where we are." He saw that Emil wasn't paying attention. "What's up, Red?"

Emil nodded his head towards the entrance of the club. "Look who jus' walked in."

Theoren, Remy and Etienne followed their friend's gaze and when they saw who Emil was talking about, Remy groaned and Theoren sank down in his chair and put his head in his hands.

"Oh, wonderful. Jus' wonderful." Theoren muttered. 

Etienne was confused. "What is it?" he asked. 

"See dose three men dat jus' walked in an' sat down?" Emil replied. Etienne nodded. "Dey're assassins. Names are Gris-Gris, Fifolet an' Questa."

"I t'ought de two Guilds were unified now…" Etienne said, trying to make sense of everything.

"Dey are." Remy told him. "But jus' b'cause dey are, doesn' mean de two groups get along."

The door of the club opened again. Claude, Genard, Rory and Dani walked in, searching the club for their friends. Emil chuckled when he saw Claude and Genard stiffen at the sight of the three assassins. Theoren waved the four over, and as they pulled chairs around the table and sat down, Genard asked,

"What are _dey_ doin' here?"

"It's a free country, Genard." Remy replied.

  
"Is it?" Claude grumbled. "Could've fooled me."

Across the room, the assassins had decided to kick up a little ruckus in the club. There were plenty of people around they could hassle. They knew some of the thieves were there, with three people they didn't recognize, but they didn't care. They had no idea that the three strangers could give them some serious problems if given the right opportunity.

Gris-Gris got up from his chair, having picked out their intended target, a young man sitting at the bar nursing a beer. Fifolet and Questa followed his lead, and together, the three assassins headed over to the bar.

"What do you s'pose dey're up to?" Theoren asked his companions.

"No good, what else?" Emil replied, frowning. 

"Should we interfere, Remy?" Genard asked. 

The frown on Remy's face matched the one on Emil's. He _wanted_ to tell his friends to go ahead and stop the assassins from doing whatever it was they intended to do. But he knew that if they _did_ interfere, the already unimaginable tension between the Guild members would get a hundred times worse. The thieves and assassins, in spite of the unification, did _not_ get along with each other, no matter how hard some of them tried to make things peaceful.

"Non, Genard." Remy finally answered. "Two reasons. If we did, dey'd never let us live it down when we got away from here. An' if de cops are called, it would be much better for us to not be involved."

Etienne, Rory and Dani glanced at Remy sharply when he said the word cops, but they remained silent. They'd had no idea they would be faced with this kind of situation so soon into their trip. They watched in silence with the thieves as Gris-Gris tapped the targeted man on the shoulder. Fifolet and Questa were standing, one on either side of Gris but slightly behind, waiting.

Gris asked the man at the bar a question and frowned evilly when the man gave his reply. With a quick motion, he grabbed the man and hauled him off the barstool. Gris then punched the man in the stomach, making him double over in pain. In seconds, Fifolet and Questa were helping him and tearing up the bar, throwing tables at the men who tried to stop them.

Dani and Rory sat there and watched the scene unfolding in front of them. They glanced at each other quickly so no one would notice. They were both itching to pull out their badges and break up the fight, but they didn't, being restrained by the thought that their brothers might reject them if they knew the truth.

Etienne sensed his friends' desire to do something about the fight. However, he didn't feel the same urge himself. Having spent the first thirteen years of his life being trained in Guild ways, he was content to sit there with the other thieves and watch. He had only been back for less than a day, but he already felt like he had never left, and he was starting to think he didn't want to leave again.

Within minutes, the door burst open and police officers ran in, guns ready.

"Dat's our cue." Theoren said quietly. He and the other thieves, Etienne included, got to their feet and quickly but quietly made for the exit. The girls stayed in their seats, looking at Etienne curiously.

"Et?" Rory asked.

"C'mon. We're getting outta here b'fore de police recognize someone." He replied.

Unsure but not willing to be left behind, Dani and Rory got up and followed their brothers and friends out of the club into the crisp night air. Once outside, the girls noticed that the thieves quickly hid themselves in the shadows, trying to blend into the darkness. They did the same, keeping close to Etienne, because he was the only one who could tell them what was going on and what to do.

***

"Etienne? Can we talk?" Dani asked, knocking lightly on Etienne's bedroom door. The three friends were back at Tante Mattie's house after their night out at the club. Rory was already asleep, as was Mattie, but Dani couldn't shake something from her mind and wanted to discuss it with her friend.

"Sure, come on in." Etienne replied, putting down the book he was reading.

Dani sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. "We haven't even been here for twenty-four hours and already you don't want to leave, do you?"

Etienne glanced at her and then looked quickly away. "I'm comfortable here, Dani. Dese people are my fam'ly. I'd been away from here so long I started to forget who I really am. True, in Los Angeles, I'm a cop. But dat's my life dere. It isn' here. Here, I'm…a t'ief. I may not be able to join de Guild officially, but in my heart, I'm a t'ief an' always have been. I've missed dis life so much…an' no, I don' want to go back."

"I guess the real question is, are you going to go back?"

"I…I don' know…" Etienne faltered. At this point, he didn't _want_ to go back, but he wasn't sure what he was really going to do. He hoped that by the end of the two weeks, he'd have a better answer. "Why didn' you an' Rory do anyt'ing 'bout de fight?"

It was Dani's turn to look away. "We didn' want to."

"Yeah, right." Etienne grinned. "Don' lie, Dan."

"Okay, okay. We were scared. Not of the assassins…we've seen worse fights, and even worse people in Los Angeles…but of the idea that if we showed we were cops, if we did something about it, Claude and Genard would reject us. Now that we have them in our lives finally, we don't want to jeopardize it." Dani admitted.

"Well," Etienne said, putting a hand on hers. "It sounds to me like you guys are gon' have a decision to make too, when de time comes."


	8. Chapter Seven

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Seven

The two weeks went by very quickly for everyone…much more quickly that any of them would have thought possible.

Rory and Dani spent as much of that time with Genard and Claude as they could, which was expected. Etienne divided his time between Theoren, Remy and Emil, although it wasn't until the day before he and the girls were to leave that he and Remy discussed the events of ten years ago.

"Hey Et, can you tell me somet'ing?" Remy asked as they sat on the back porch of the Guild safehouse just after supper.

"Sure Rem, what is it?" Etienne replied, vaguely wondering where Emil was. He didn't know that Remy had asked their friend to let them talk in private for awhile.

"What happened in Spain? All I know is I tried to get us out using my powers an' we got separated. Three weeks later, Papa went dere an' came back sayin' dey never found your body. What really happened?"

"Well dat's a loaded question if ever dere was one." Etienne commented with a chuckle. "But it has a fairly simple answer. I woke up sometime after we got separated; I was in a hospital. Awhile later…probably only days but it seemed like forever to me…Jean-Luc showed up an' took me to California to live with Nadine an' Yvonne. I never saw him again."

Remy was quiet for a few moments, digesting what his friend had said. He lit a cigarette then finally replied,

"Did he ever write to you or call you or anyt'ing?"

  
"Oui. Every Christmas, he sent me a letter, tellin' me how everyone was, t'ings like dat. An' for de first few years he called me on my birthday every year. I didn' get a letter at Christmas dis past one t'ough."

Remy chuckled sadly. "Dat's prob'ly b'cause he didn' want to have to tell you he abandoned de Guild an' left me in charge."

"Have you spoken to him since he left?" Etienne asked.

"Nope." Remy replied shortly.

"Are you angry wit' him for doin' it?"

"A little. I sure as hell didn' ask to be made Guild patriarch, an' I don' care what de prophecies say. Wit' de two Guilds unified now, I can t'ink of two people who are much better suited to be de leader den me. Instead, my dear father went wit' de prophecies an' chose me." Remy sighed.

"But if de prophecies said you were to be de leader…" Etienne began.

"Both your brother an' Bella Donna are better suited to lead de Guild den I am." Remy cut him off sharply. "Et, are you angry wit' my father?" he questioned suddenly, getting the topic back away from himself.

"I resent his decision sometimes, oui. But I also understand dat he did what he t'ought was best for me at de time. I couldn' come back here, Remy. Not den."

"What changed?"

"What do you mean?" Etienne asked, knowing full well but wanting Remy to say it.

"How come you felt you could come back now, but not den?"

"Remy, you know as well as I do dat I failed at de tilling. I couldn' face everyone."

"True, but you also know your failure wasn' your fault. You would've been successful if we hadn' been caught by Candra's goons." Remy commented.

"I'm glad you t'ink dat."

Remy put out his cigarette and looked at his friend. He was very glad Etienne was alive and felt maybe it was time he apologize for his actions. "I'm sorry, Et."

Etienne tilted his head. "What for?"

"For attemptin' to use my powers back den when I knew I shouldn'. Dere hasn' been a day in de past ten years dat I haven' regretted my actions. Now dat I know you didn' die, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted, y'know? But you very easily could've died, an' I'm sorry for riskin' it like I did." Remy replied.

"You're forgettin' dat b'fore dat, when we were tryin' to get away from Candra's people, I was beggin' you to use dose same powers an' you wouldn'." Etienne reminded him. "You don' have to apologize, Remy. It was ten years ago now. I t'ink we can put it b'hind us."

"Speakin' of dat…"

"What?"

"You don' wan' leave tomorrow, do you?" Remy asked.

Etienne was startled by his friends' sudden question, but he had an answer. "Non. Dis is my home. My fam'ly is here, includin' you. Of course I don' wan' go, but do I have much of a choice in de matter?"

"Maybe." Remy said briefly, getting up and going into the house.

Etienne sat there gazing after him for a few moments, wondering what Remy was up to. He was still sitting there when Emil came out and sat beside him, a curious frown furrowing his forehead, his blue eyes questioning.

"What's Remy doin'?" Emil asked. "I was in dere talkin' to Theoren an' he came in an wanted to speak to Theo in private. Any ideas? I mean first he asked me to leave him an' you alone, now him an' Theo. I don' get it."

Etienne chuckled. "Je ne sais pas. He jus' got up an' went in without tellin' me why but I do know it has somet'ing to do wit' my leavin' tomorrow."

"Oh." Emil replied, his frown deepening. He had been trying not to think about Etienne going back to Los Angeles. The idea was just too depressing to contemplate. "Don' want you to go."

"You t'ink I want to, mon ami? I don'. I hate de t'ought." Etienne said.

"So don' go!" Emil exclaimed, his face lighting up at the possibility. "Jus' say here. How hard could it be, anyway?"

Etienne sighed, even though he got a huge kick out of his friends' sudden change of moods. 'Same old Emil. Nice to know some t'ings never change.' He thought with a silent chuckle. To Emil, he said,

"It might not be so easy…"

***

"Rory, we have a dilemma." Dani said, wishing the two weeks weren't over so soon. She had been dreading this decision ever since she and Etienne had spoken about it on their first night in town.

"What's that?" Rory asked, her attention more on the doorway. Claude and Genard had gone out to rent some movies for them to watch, and Rory was anxious to find out what they got.

"There's a good chance Etienne won't be coming with us tomorrow." Dani replied, watching her friend sharply for the reaction she knew would come. When her words sunk in, the reaction came.

"What?" Rory demanded, ignoring the door and looking at Dani.

"He doesn' want to leave. And if he can find a way to avoid going back to LA, he will. He's happy here, this is his home, it always has been." Dani explained.

Rory was silent for a moment. "But what about us?" She asked quietly. "The three of us are a team..."

"I know. That's our problem, Ro. What are you and I going to do if he decides to stay and they allow it? Where is it going to leave us?"

"Do you want to stay, Dani?" Rory asked.

"Claude's here, of course I do! Two weeks is not enough time to make up twenty-four years." Dani replied. "Do you?"

"I don't know." Rory admitted. "I mean, I agree with you entirely, but, well, our mothers are in California…"

Dani sighed. "I know. And they'll be upset and hurt if we decide to stay here."

"Exactly." Rory agreed. "Besides that, our jobs are there, too. If Et stays here, it will be bad enough, him leaving Captain Garner high and dry with no warning, but it'd be a huge blow if we all did."

The girls continued talking, trying to figure out a solution, unaware that Claude and Genard had returned from the video store and were in the hallway outside the living room, listening. This was the first time in the two weeks either of them had heard anything about any jobs the girls had, and they were curious. 

"Who's Captain Garner?" Genard whispered, so quietly he almost didn't say the words at all. Near-silent whispering was part of thief training. They had to be able to communicate without anyone else knowing.

Claude shrugged. "I don' know." He whispered back. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he watched Dani pull a shiny gold badge out of her pocket and absently fiddle with it in her fingers. "Oh mon dieu…dey're cops!" he hissed.

"Wha--?" Genard began to exclaim, forgetting to whisper. He was abruptly stopped when Claude clamped a hand over his mouth and glared at him. 

"Would you shut up?" Claude demanded.

Genard nodded and Claude took his hand away.

"Dey're cops? How do you know?" Genard whispered.

"Dani's got a badge." Claude replied. "Man, dis changes t'ings. 'Specially if de others find out."

"How?" Genard asked. "Dey're cops. So what? It didn' effect de past two weeks."

"Dat's not de point." Claude sighed, suddenly wondering if they should tell the girls they knew the truth.

Inside the living room, Dani, still fiddling with her badge, commented,

"I guess it's going to depend on what means more to us, staying and learning about our true family heritage, or going back to the people who kept most of that knowledge from us."

Rory considered that before replying. "Not to mention who means more to us, our moms and the people at work, or our brothers, Etienne and the others here."

"Yep. Do you think we should talk to Claude and Genard about it?"

"No, I think we should talk to Tante Mattie about it. She seems to be the best one to get an objective opinion from, I'd say." Rory replied.

"Good idea." Dani agreed. "Hey, I wonder where those brothers of ours are with those movies. They've been gone a long time."

Out in the hallway, Genard poked Claude in the ribs. Claude nearly yelped but managed not to. He glared questioningly at his friend.

Genard gestured at the living room. "We gotta go in!" He whispered.

"But…but…" Claude protested. "Dani's still holdin' de badge!"

Sighing, Genard rolled his eyes at Claude. "So?" he whispered. Then he plastered a bright smile on his face and went into the living room.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find movies dat all four of us will want to watch?" he asked the girls as Claude followed him. Both men saw Dani hastily hiding the badge, but they pretended not to.

"Ooh!" Rory exclaimed, pouncing on her brother and grabbing the movies out of his hands. "What'd you get?"

"We settled on an old staple." Claude replied, trying to sound normal and almost succeeding.

"Indiana Jones! Cool!" Rory said, happily bouncing over to the television. "We haven't seen these in ages!"

Dani laughed at her friends' antics as Claude and Genard joined her on the couch while Rory put the first movie in the VCR. "Does she remind you guys of a certain orange-and-black character from the hundred acre wood?"

"Hey! Tigger's cool!" Rory objected as she sat beside Genard, who snickered.

"Yeah, he is, but actin' like him isn', really." He commented. Dani and Claude nodded in agreement, but Rory pouted and smacked him on the arm.

"Ow!" Genard yelped.

"That's for saying I'm not cool." His sister replied, still pouting.

"I didn' mean…" Genard faltered, wondering what he could say to make things better. He still wasn't used to having a kid sister. "Ro, I t'ink you're cool! I really do!"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Rory replied. She wasn't really upset with him, it was just a joke. She was getting a kick out of how worried he was about it.

"Rory…"

"Guys, c'mon, de movie's startin'!" Claude said, sounding annoyed. Genard shut his mouth, pushed his glasses up on his nose and began to watch the movie, casting sideways glances at Rory every once in so long.

Finally, Rory poked his arm. When he looked at her fully, she winked at him. "I was only kidding." she whispered. Upon hearing that, Genard smiled with relief and the two settled back with their friends.

The group was interrupted briefly when Emil, Mercy and Zoe walked in.

"Hey! Indy!" Emil exclaimed. "Can we watch too? Remy, Theoren an' Etienne won' let us in on de meetin' dey're havin'."

  
"Red, shut up an' sit down!" Claude commanded.

Emil did as he was told and claimed one of the two plushy armchairs. Mercy got the other one, and Zoe stretched out as best she could on the loveseat. Together, the seven friends watched the rest of the first two Indiana Jones movies without further interruption.


	9. Chapter Eight

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Eight

Mercy was closest to the television and VCR, so she was the one who changed the movies when the time came. It made sense to everyone, Mercy included, so she didn't mind doing it. She was just about to put the third movie into the VCR when Remy, Theoren and Etienne entered the living room.

Mercy smiled when she saw them. "You missed de first two movies of de series, but would you like to join us anyway?"

"Hold off on de movie for a second, would ya, Merce?" Theoren asked. "We have somet'ing we'd like to run by everyone."

Mercy left the movie and went back to sit down in her chair. Everyone in the room looked expectantly at the three men in the entryway. Remy spoke next.

"Now, we have to run dis by Bel an' de other assassins too, b'cause dey're part of de Guild as well, but de three of us have been talkin' 'bout dis all night an' well, we'd like your opinions on it." he said. "You all know, I t'ink, dat Etienne doesn' want to leave…."

"I don' want him to either, but I can' speak for de others." Emil interrupted.

"Well," Theoren said. "I don't either. An' Remy an' I have come up wit' a way dat would allow him to stay, if he chooses to."

"Ten years ago, when I was doin' my tilling," Etienne continued. "I had succeeded up until de point when Candra an' the Pig interfered. Dey're de real reason I failed. An' while Jean-Luc decided it would be best if I don' come back here, dese two seem to t'ink it means de tilling was void."

"Theoren an' I are t'inking dat if Et does his tilling again an' is successful, dere's no real reason why he can' be a member of de Guild." Remy explained. "One of us will go wit' him as his sponsor, de way it's s'posed to be…only it won' be me dis time. What do you guys t'ink of de idea?"

"I like it!" Emil, Mercy and Zoe all said at the same time in response to Remy's question.

Theoren laughed. "Why am I not surprised?" he turned to Claude and Genard. "What do you two t'ink?"

"Sounds good to me. Dere's no reason why he shouldn' be given a second chance." Genard replied.

Claude nodded. "Agreed. An' I'll even volunteer to be his sponsor. Unless, of course, you wan' do it, Theo."

"Non…I t'ink I'd be jus' a bit too partial." Theoren replied. "You got de job."

Remy looked at Etienne. "Well, looks like you have a decision to make, mon ami."

Etienne couldn't stop looking at the dismal faces on Rory and Dani. "Oui…" he said quietly. "I'll let everyone know in de mornin'." 

***

"What do you think he's going to do?" Rory asked, following Dani into her bedroom that night and sitting on the bed.

Dani sat beside her friend with a sigh. "I don't know. But if he decides to stay, we have to figure out what we're going to do."

"I wish we had never come here." Rory mumbled.

"No you don't. You wish he didn't want to stay." Dani corrected her.

"Yeah, I guess. But can I tell you something?"

"Of course. You can tell me anything."

"I don't want to stay. I want to go back home. I miss California. I miss the people at work. I miss Mom. Even if he stays, I don't think I'm going to." Rory confided.

"I see…" Dani said softly, her heart sinking. She had felt this would happen and the whole thing scared her. 

"What about you?" Rory asked.

"I don't know, Ro. I think it's going to be one of those decisions I make on the spot, after I find out what Et's going to do."

The girls spoke for a few more minutes and then Rory left to go to bed. If they went home the next day, they would have a big day ahead of them. 

Dani remained seated on her bed, staring at the picture on the wall. She was still staring at it when there was a knock on her bedroom door. 

"Come in." Dani answered.

Claude poked his head in the door. "Can I?"

"Yes, of course! Have a seat. What's on your mind?"

Claude joined her on the edge of the bed. He looked nervous, Dani noticed, and she wondered what he was thinking. She gave him an encouraging smile and he sighed.

"Um, well, you know earlier when Genard an' I were getting de movies? Well, we were in de hallway for a few minutes b'fore we went in when we came back, an' we heard you an' Rory talkin' an'…"

Dani felt as if her stomach had dropped out of her body. She remembered that she'd been fiddling with her police badge during that conversation, and she was suddenly aware that it was probably a bad thing for her to have taken it out in the first place.

"And…?" she prodded.

"An', um…we know you guys are cops. Etienne as well. I saw your badge. We haven' told any of de others, an' I wasn' gon' mention it to you, but I didn' want to end de first two weeks of our relationship wit' a lie, y'know?"

Dani wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't entirely sure what Claude thought of the whole thing. "Um…well, yeah. The thing is, though, it's just a job, at least for Etienne it is. He's always been a thief through and through…he just did the cop thing because we were doing it. At least that's what he said at the time…"

"If you and Rory stay here…what will you do about that?" Claude asked.

"Well, first of all, no matter what Etienne decides, I don't think Rory's going to stay. I'm still undecided. But if I do stay, I'll find something to do. I won't transfer to the local police force, if that's what you're wondering. That would just be too ironic. It's already too ironic." Dani replied. "Does it upset you, the whole cop thing?"

Claude chuckled. "It's a bit unnerving, but it doesn' really upset me. I mean, like you said, it's ironic. It doesn' change _our_ relationship, but if de others find out an' you do stay, you won' be able to join de Guild…"

"I don't want to join, so even if it _does_ get out, you don't have to worry about it."

"Really?"

"Claude, Mom and Yvonne went to Los Angeles to make sure Rory and I didn't grow up around the Guild. We're as good as it gets. I couldn't steal something if you paid me to. But I _can_ turn a blind eye and a deaf ear and pretend I don't know anything, if I have to. For you and the others, I would. Maybe not for the assassins, but…" Dani told him.

"Wow." Claude replied. "So you're still unsure about whether you're going to stay or not?"

"Yeah. I think Rory's pretty much decided, but I don't know. I'm all torn up about it. I'll decide tomorrow, after I find out what Et's doing."

Claude traced the pattern of the bedspread with a finger. "What do you t'ink he should do? I mean, you've known him for de past ten years, you know what he's like as an adult, de rest of us only knew him as a kid."

Dani sighed. "Much as it pains me to say this, especially if I decide to go home with Rory, I think he should stay. His heart's always been here, even if _he_ wasn't. This is his home. He shouldn't be forced to stay away from it if he doesn't have to."

"Yeah…"

***

"Well? What'd Bel say?" Theoren asked when Remy came out of Bella Donna's bedroom.

"She says dat b'cause it's t'ief business, she'll support whatever we decide. Even if de other four assassins don', we still outvote dem, so it won' matter." Remy told him. "Do you t'ink he'll stay or go?"

Theoren sighed as the two walked down the hallway. "I don' know. He's bein' pretty tight-lipped about it. I t'ink de opinions of dose two girls will weigh a lot on his final decision."

"Oui, I was getting dat impression myself."

***

Etienne lay on his bed with his head pillowed in his hands, staring at the ceiling. He sighed for the seventh time since retiring to his room after he, Remy and Theoren had ran the idea of him joining the Guild past the others. He honestly didn't know what he should do.

Part of him wanted to stay where he was more than anything. He had always wanted a second chance at the tilling, and here he was, being offered that chance. But was that chance worth giving up his life in Los Angeles, and more importantly, was it worth possibly losing his two of his best friends?

"You could always flip a coin." A voice said from the doorway.

Etienne looked over at the door, startled. "Why haven' you changed any in de past ten years? You're de exact same person you were when I left."

Emil chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed. He shrugged. "Well, none of us have really changed, 'cept for Remy. We're all de same people. An' you _could_ flip a coin, y'know."

"I don' t'ink it would help."

"Non, prob'ly not." Emil agreed. "But it _is_ a solution. Anyway, look, I know I'm not de best person to give advice…I mean, dis is me we're talkin' bout…but when you get right down to it, it doesn' matter what anyone else t'inks 'cept for you. Don' worry 'bout what de rest of us t'ink or feel, an' do what your heart tells you to do."

"Why does dat sound like somet'ing Tante Mattie would say?" Etienne questioned.

"B'cause she would say it. She prob'ly _has_ said it sometime…"

Etienne sighed again. "I wish I knew what my heart was tellin' me to do. It's talkin' a language I can' understand."

"So why don' you sleep on it an' see what language your heart's talkin' in de mornin'?" Emil suggested.

"You're right." Etienne agreed.

"I am?!"

"Oui. It's a good idea."

"Really? Whoa…Last time I had a good idea, or what I _t'ought_ was a good idea…it almost landed me in de slammer…"

"What'd you do?" Etienne was curious. Emil was always getting in trouble when they were kids…it had been his idea for them to steal the plane after all, when he and Remy were twelve and Etienne was ten. That had ended badly too. Because none of them had known how to fly a plane, they crashed it. Needless to say, Jean-Luc, Theoren and Emil's father had yelled at them for hours over that stunt. Remy and Etienne had been grounded for two weeks; Emil had been grounded for four, because it had been his idea.

"Genard an' I were at dis bar, jus' a small-town place, a ways outside Nawlins. I tried to pick up dis girl only to find out she was workin' for de cops. Dey were tryin' to catch dis guy who was slippin' drugs into girls' drinks an' den rapin' dem. 'course I didn' know dat 'til later, but it didn' matter. Had to talk to de blasted cop, too. I t'ink he might've recognized either me or Genard, but he didn' get a chance to find out who we were, 'cause we beat it out of dere pretty quick de second his head was turned." Emil explained.

Etienne slapped his friend's arm. "You imbecile!" 

Emil rubbed his arm and grinned. "Yeah, well. Y'know dat nice little reputation I got as a kid for getting into trouble? It jus' keeps getting worse…I can' shake it."

"You wouldn' be de same Emil we all know an' love if you _did_ shake it." Etienne assured him.

***

The next morning, the thieves, Dani and Rory assembled in the living room at the safehouse. Tante Mattie, who was glad to be included in this meeting, joined them. They made light talk as they waited for the man who called the meeting, Etienne. The time had come for them to find out his decision.

Etienne paused outside the living room to collect his thoughts. He had, in spite of Emil's advice, lie awake for over half the night, agonizing and thinking over his decision, but he had finally made up his mind. He was going to do what his heart told him to do, and nothing else.

He walked into the room and the quiet chatter died down almost instantly. Etienne chuckled nervously, thinking of how students in a classroom had the same reaction when their teacher walked in.

"You all know why I've asked you to come here," he began. "After much thinking and rethinking and feeling like I was going out of my mind, I have made my decision."


	10. Chapter Nine

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Nine

'Well, this is it.' Dani thought. She looked around at the people assembled in the room and noticed that quite a few of them, Etienne included, looked as nervous as she felt. She still didn't know what she was going to do herself, but she figured it might help to know Etienne's decision.

"What'd you decide, chil'?" Tante Mattie prodded, noticing that Etienne wasn't coming forward with his decision.

Etienne sighed. It had been a difficult choice to make, one that he hoped wouldn't be a mistake in the long run. He went over to Rory and Dani. "Dis wasn' an easy decision to make…havin' you guys here made it even harder, if you'll b'lieve me. I love you both like sisters, an' your mothers are wonderful. But dis is my home, my heart has always been here, an' I've decided to stay here. I'm sorry."

Across the room, it took all the restraint Emil had to keep from jumping up and shouting "Woohoo!" but he managed to barely contain his excitement. He sat on the couch with an insane, giddy grin on his face, which made both Mercy and Zoe giggle. Beside him, Theoren sighed with relief. He had been extremely worried that his brother would choose to leave again.

Rory was the first to react out loud to Etienne's decision. "Do you think either Dani or myself had any doubt that you'd choose to stay here?" she asked. "I'm glad you decided you decided to stay, because it means you listened to your heart and that's what's important."

"Agreed." Dani said. "You don't have to apologize, Et. There's no need of it."

"We're glad you decided to stay too, Et." Remy commented. He looked at Emil and Theoren, who were whispering to each other about something. Emil still looked like he wanted to jump up and down or dance a jig. "Do you two have somet'ing to say?"

"Well…" Theoren replied. "I'd jus' like to say dat Emil an' I are very relieved, to even jus' have de answer. We were goin' a bit nuts, not knowin' one way or de other."

"Yeah, an' now dat we know…can we have a party?" Emil asked.

"Maybe later, Emil. Not right now." Remy laughed. "Right now, I t'ink maybe it's time for de girls to tell us what dey're doin' as well."

Rory went first. "Well, as much as I love all you guys, I miss my mom, an' I miss California, so I've decided to go back home. However," she laughed. "Genard now has my address, phone number and ICQ number, so I don't plan on being out of touch!"

Claude put his hand on Dani's shoulder. "What 'bout you, Dani?" he asked quietly. He was more nervous about his sister's decision than he would dare let on, and none of the others noticed. Except for perhaps Tante Mattie, but she remained silent, keeping his secret.

Dani sighed, tears forming in her green eyes. She didn't want to make the decision, she didn't want to have to say any of it. But she knew she had to. "Choosing between the life I've always known and the life I could have been living here is not an easy thing to do." She began softly. "And since I knew what Rory's decision was last night, it's been more than just having to choose between two lives. In a sense, I have to choose between two people, my best friend and my brother."

Everyone looked at her, silent, waiting for her to continue. She looked at Rory. "I miss California too, Ro. And I miss Mom. But I like it here, and I want to stay, even if it's just for awhile, you know? Two weeks isn't long enough."

Rory looked away. "You mean you're staying?" she asked quietly, her voice barely audible. She hasn't been expecting this. She and Dani had always done everything together, since they were babies. They had never been separated before. This was a blow to her, and it upset her quite a bit.

"For now…" Dani replied. Then she looked at the assembled thieves, her brother included, and giggled. "If they'll let me, that is."

Claude looked like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He knew Genard was a bit upset over Rory's decision, although he wasn't showing it. He had been afraid that Dani would make the same decision her best friend had made, and he was just as relieved over her decision as Theoren and Emil were over Etienne's. He looked at Remy, who just smiled and nodded.

"Are you crazy?!" Claude demanded of his sister. "Of course we'll let you stay! I'd have to kick some serious butt if anyone in dis room told me you couldn'!"

Dani laughed and hugged him. "I'm not saying I'm going to stay forever, but I'll be around for awhile anyway."

"Awhile's good. I can handle dat." Claude grinned. "Awhile means you're not gon' leave today."

Genard sighed quietly and left the room without a word. Tante Mattie, with her emphatic abilities, knew what he was feeling and when Rory went to follow him, she stopped her.

"Chil', don'. Not yet. I'd like to talk to him first, okay?"

Rory stopped where she was and gave Mattie a quizzical look, but nodded. "Okay, Tante."

Mattie left the living room in search of Genard. She found him sitting on the back porch, staring at the trees. When he heard the door open and close, he glanced over, and seeing that it wasn't Rory, he sighed.

"It's not fair." He said miserably, his brown eyes swimming with tears. "How come Theoren an' Claude are so lucky?"

Mattie sat down beside him and put an arm around his shoulders. "De only reason dey're lucky in dis case is b'cause Rory's different from Etienne an' Dani. Jus' like you're different from de others. You an' Rory are so much alike, it's almost scary. Genard, tell me dis. If someone gave you de chance to leave Nawlins an' move to a new place in a new state, would you do it?"

Genard's eyes widened in a look of horror. "Non! Dis is my home, I'd never…" his voice trailed off as he realized what Tante Mattie was getting at. "Oh."

"Rory feels de same way 'bout Los Angeles. Goin' an' visitin' other places is fine, but she would never leave her home for very long."

"I know what you're sayin', Tante. It still doesn' seem fair, but at least I understand now." Genard sighed. "I jus' wish dese two weeks weren' up yet…"

"It's not like you'll never see her or talk to her again, Genard." Mattie commented. "An' you can always go visit her an' your Mom if you want, sometime."

"Yeah, I could, couldn' I? I never t'ought of dat. Don' know why Claude an' I didn' t'ink of it b'fore…"

"Well, don' forget it, now dat you've t'ought of it." Mattie chuckled, getting up and going inside. When she got back to the living room, she told Rory to go talk to her brother.

Rory tentatively sat down beside Genard, where Mattie had been moments before, and bit her lip. "Are you mad at me?"

"Non, non Rory don' ever t'ink dat. I was a little jealous, I guess, b'cause even t'ough Dani isn' gon' stay forever, Theoren an' Claude both got what dey wanted an' I didn'…"

"Oh Genard, I'm sorry…" Rory stammered.

Genard smiled sadly. "Don' be. Los Angeles is your home, an' you shouldn' have to leave if you don' want to, if it doesn' make you happy. I'm de same way. I couldn' leave Nawlins for more den a couple weeks without getting homesick."

"So you understand how I feel?"

"Oui. I do. An' it's okay."

Inside the house, Dani and Etienne were talking. Et had been surprised by Dani's decision. He had figured she'd go back to Los Angeles with Rory. They sat on the stairs, away from everyone else.

"Why'd you decide to stay? I t'ought you'd jump at de chance to go back to LA wit' Rory." Etienne said.

"I don't know. I didn't have an idea what I was going to decide until I was asked. I just realized there on the spot that I wanted to stay for awhile."

"Well, I'm glad you're stayin', an' I know Claude is too." Etienne replied.

"So am I." Dani smiled. "I just hope Rory's not mad that I decided to stick around."

"I don' t'ink she is, chil'." Tante Mattie commented, joining them. "She was more worried 'bout Genard's reaction to her own decision."

"Are they okay?" Etienne asked, concerned.

"Oui, dey are. Dey jus' had to realize dat dey're more alike den dey t'ought." Mattie replied, heading out the door.


	11. Chapter Ten

Cops and Robbers

Chapter Ten

Dani sighed and knocked on the door of Rory's room, sticking her head inside with a small smile. "Can I come in?"

Rory didn't look up from the clothes she was busily packing. "Sure."

Dani entered the room, but hovered near the door. She had a feeling her friend wasn't happy with her, but they had to talk about it. "Are you…uh…are you upset with me? With the decision I made earlier?"

"A little." Rory replied, continuing her packing. Then she stopped and looked at her best friend. "Dani, how can you do this?"

"Ro, I didn't know until I was asked, I swear!" Dani exclaimed.

Rory sighed. "That's the not the point."

"Then what _is_ the point, Ro? I made a decision, one I've been thinking about for two weeks. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do until it happened. I can't help that any. And I'm sorry."

"We've never been separated in our lives." Rory commented quietly, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall from her brown eyes. She wasn't angry with Dani, she was just upset over the fact that they were being separated.

"I know…" Dani sighed. She knew that was what was bothering Rory, and she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to make it better. "But it's not like I'm never going back to LA. I just need a few more weeks."

Rory closed her suitcase and zipped it shut. "I know. I'll get over it. I mean, we can't do everything together all the time."

"That's right. Rory, I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Dani said.

"I know. Don't worry about it. Can't dwell on it anyway. I have to go." Rory replied. "Genard's driving me to the airport."

Dani remembered her other reason for visiting Rory. "Oh!" She pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "Would you give this to Mom for me when you get home?"

"Sure. What is it?" Rory asked, putting the envelope in her backpack.

"There's a letter in it, and also a picture of Claude and me. Mercy took it earlier in the week, and I made sure to get a copy for Mom. I know she wanted to see what Claude looks like now."

"Yeah. I've got pictures of Genard too, for Mom. I wish he could come with me. I know Mom would love to see him."

Dani thought for a moment. Suddenly, she got an idea. "Well, wait a second." She went to the door and stuck her head out. "Genard!" she yelled.

A door opened and Genard looked out. "Yeah?"

"Come here for a minute, would you?" Dani asked. Genard nodded and joined the girls in seconds.

"What's up?" He asked. Spying the suitcase. "You have to go soon, don't you?" 

Rory sighed. "Yeah. I don't want to be late. Dani, what's this about?"

"Genard, why don't you go to LA with Rory and visit your mom?" Dani asked.

Genard frowned and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "What? Today? How could I possibly do that?"

"Go throw some clothes in a suitcase and use my ticket, that's how." Dani replied, giggling. "It's not like I'll be able to use it when I go to leave in a few weeks. It's only good for today. So instead of wasting it, why don't you use it?"

Genard looked at his sister. "What do you t'ink?"

Rory's eyes lit up. "Oh Genard, it'd be wonderful! But can you just up and leave on a moment's notice like this?"

"I don' know. No one's ever done it b'fore 'cept for Remy. How much time b'fore you have to leave?"

"Twenty minutes or so. Why?" Rory replied.

"I'll be back in a minute."

***

Genard ran down the stairs, almost falling flat on his face, he was in such a hurry. He knew Remy, Theoren and Mercy were in the living room, watching television. He joined them, out of breath.

"Hey Genard. What's goin' on?" Mercy asked with a smile.

"Um…would it be okay if I went to California?" Genard asked, not beating around the bush. He didn't have time for bush beating. If he was going to go, he had less than twenty minutes to get ready.

"When?" Remy and Theoren asked at the same time.

Genard looked at his watch. "Jus' as soon as I can throw some clothes into a suitcase. See de t'ing is, b'cause Dani's not goin' back, her ticket's gon' go to waste unless someone uses it today. She suggested dat I use it, since, well, I really wan' go see my mom."

"I don' see why you can' go." Remy laughed. "It'll be a nice change for you. I say go an' have fun."

"But what about Etienne's ticket?" Theoren asked skeptically. "Isn' it goin' to waste too?"

Etienne walked in. "Etienne didn' buy a round trip ticket. I was kinda hopin' to get to stay, but if I couldn', I had enough money to buy a ticket back."

"So…I can go?" Genard asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Yeah, go! Get packin'. You don't have much time." Mercy replied.

"Dat's right. T'anks!" With that Genard ran out of the room and back up the stairs to rejoin his sister and Dani.

"Well? Can you come?" Rory asked.

"Can't you tell? He's beaming!" Dani laughed. "I'd say he can."

"Oui, I can." Genard told them.

"Cool!" Rory exclaimed. "Uh…shouldn't you be packing? We have to leave soon."

"Yeah that might be a good idea…" Genard replied, leaving the room and heading to his own to pack some clothes. He returned in a couple of seconds, poking his head in and looking at the girls quizzically. "What should I pack…?"

"Clothes." Dani told him seriously, a twinkle in her green eyes.

Genard rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Du-uh! Now you wan' be serious an' tell me what to pack?"

Rory giggled. "Genard, seriously, LA and New Orleans aren't that much different. Just take things you would normally wear when not wearing that armor you guys are so fond of. Jeans, shorts, t-shirts, stuff like that."

"Oh, okay." Genard replied. Before leaving again, he said, "And dat armor keeps us from getting hurt or killed, so it's actually a good t'ing…"

"Okay! Just go! You have, like ten minutes before we have to leave! And we haven't said goodbye to anyone yet…" Rory said, shooing him out of the room.

***

Ten minutes later, everyone was gathered in the living room of the safehouse. It was time for Rory and Genard to leave for the airport. Rory addressed the others first.

"Guys, thanks for everything. The past two weeks have been absolutely great, and I'm really glad I came. Oh and I really appreciate you lending me him for awhile," she gestured at Genard who shrugged. "I know Mom will be really happy to see him."

"We were real glad t' have you, chil', you come on back whenever you want to." Tante Mattie said with a gentle laugh.

Rory impulsively hugged Tante Mattie, who smiled at the unexpected embrace. "Thanks Tante." Rory said before turning to Etienne, who was standing near Theoren.

"You _are_ comin' back sometime, right?" Et asked.

"Of course!" Rory laughed. "I'm going to miss you…but I'm really glad you're back home where you belong." She turned to Theoren. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but you take care of him, or I'll have to come back here and kick your butt."

"Yes Ma'am!" Theoren laughed.

As Genard said his good-byes to his friends, Rory and Dani looked at each other.

"I'm going to call Mom, once you guys leave." Dani said. "I think she should know I'm staying for awhile. I don't want her to get a shock when they get to the airport."  
"Make sure, if you tell her Genard's coming, to get her to promise not to tell Mom. I want her to be surprised." Rory replied.

"Got it." Dani smiled. "You take care. And call me when you get home, so we'll know you made it okay."

Rory and Dani hugged each other. They were really more like sisters than friends, and this wasn't easy for either of them. "You keep in touch, okay?" Rory whispered. "And if you think for one second you're going to stay here permanently, I'll come back and drag you kicking and screaming if I have to."

"Okay."

Genard cleared his throat. "Uh, don' we have to leave? You were buggin' me awhile ago 'bout hurryin'."

Rory checked her watch. "Oh dear lord, you're right!"

"Well go then!" Emil chuckled, waving them out of the room. "Don' let us stop you. Jeez, if you stay here talkin' to us, you'll never get to go."

"Call us." Mercy commanded as the two dragged their suitcases to the car.

"Hey. You are not my mother!" Genard joked, his excitement starting to get the better of him.

Mercy sighed. "No, I'm not." She looked at Rory. "Rory, would you ask your mother to make him call us?"

Rory laughed. "Sure, Merce. Bye guys!"

***

"You're awfully quiet." Rory commented. She and Genard were on the plane, heading towards California. They had passed up watching the in-flight movie, deciding they didn't really need to see 'Scary Movie'. Both of them had refused to see it when it was in theatres, and they didn't want to see it now. So they were sitting there, watching the clouds float by.

"Oh…I…uh…" Genard stammered.

"You're nervous." Rory grinned.

"If you know me dis well after only two weeks, what's gon' happen when it's a few years?" Genard asked with a smile. "Yeah, I'm nervous. I mean…"

"You've never been to California before, and you haven't seen Mom since you were five years old." Rory finished. "I understand. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. We could play a game."

"Like what? 'I Spy'?" Genard laughed.

Rory pulled her backpack from under her seat. "No, like checkers. Or chess. Or how about 'Sorry'?" she replied, digging out the three travel games.

"Ooh, maybe we'll be able to play t'rough de whole flight."

"That _is_ the point." Rory said. "We didn't play them before, but there's no reason why you and I can't play now. Which one first?"

Genard thought for a moment before replying. "Checkers. I've always liked dat one. Can I be black?"

Rory sighed. "Fine. But only if I can be black next game."

"Deal." Genard replied as they set the game up on Rory's tray.

They played the games over and over, each winning some and losing some. The only time they stopped was to eat some of the meal. The flight went by very fast for them, and they hardly noticed the time passing. Next thing they knew, the pilot was announcing the plane's arrival in Los Angeles, and they were beginning their descent. Suddenly, Genard grew quiet again.

"Genard?" Rory asked as the plane pulled up to the terminal after landing. 

"I'm okay...she's gon' be happy to see me, right?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, more than you know. She'd be crazy not to. She's always wanted to see you again. She hated leaving you behind when she came here."

"A lot of time has gone by…" Genard sighed.

"You and Mom have a lot of catching up to do. Don't be nervous. Just relax and enjoy it. California has a lot to offer, even in a week or two." Rory laughed.

"I'm sure you're right." Genard said. They stood and got ready to leave the plane. The butterflies in his stomach didn't go away, but he was glad he wasn't alone. At least Rory could point out their mother to him. He had an idea she would look different than she did when he was a child.

***

LAX was a sea of people. Genard didn't think he'd ever seen that many people all at one place at one time before. Not even during Mardi Gras. He did his best to keep up with Rory, who kept laughing at him. 

When Rory spotted her mother and Nadine, her face broke into a huge grin. She ran over to the two women and hugged them both. Genard suddenly felt shy, and hung back, walking over to them as slowly as he could. He recognized his mother more quickly than he thought he would, and not just because Rory hugged her first. He just knew.

"How was your trip?" Yvonne asked, still unaware that Genard was even there.

"Oh it was so fantastic! I had a blast! But we can talk about that later. I have the biggest surprise for you." Rory replied.

"Oh?" Yvonne questioned. Nadine smiled. She had been on the phone with Dani, and knew that Yvonne was about to get the biggest surprise of her life.

"Yep!" Rory replied, grabbing Genard's arm and dragging him the last few steps. 

Yvonne's eyes widened as she realized that it was her son standing in front of her. Tears started flowing down her cheeks almost instantly. "Genard…" she whispered, totally amazed that the little boy she left behind all those years before had turned into this tall, handsome young man.

"Uh…hi." Genard said, his heart pounding. He was so happy to finally see his mother again, he wasn't sure what to do or say. He felt very conspicuous in the huge crowds of people flowing around them in the airport, something he wasn't comfortable with, being a thief.

Yvonne hugged her son, unable to stop crying. Genard was less embarrassed by the embrace than he might have expected, but that was only because he was crying himself. He had missed his mother very much over the years. He decided he didn't care what anyone else thought.

"This was a great idea, Rory." Nadine whispered.

"Thank Dani, not me." Rory replied. "It was her idea."

Yvonne finally let Genard go and turned to Nadine and Rory. "I think we should get out of this crowded airport. Let's get you two home, okay?"


	12. Epilogue

Cops and Robbers

Epilogue

Paris, France, Present Day

Jean-Luc LeBeau had checked his mail every single day since he moved to his Paris penthouse, but he had never received more than flyers. But this particular morning, he checked his mail and found an envelope. He frowned in curiosity and took the envelope back to his penthouse. He didn't look at it, didn't even check to see who it was from, until he was sitting on his couch in his living room, safe away from the outside world. Jean-Luc may have retired from being leader of the Thieves Guild, but he was still a thief at heart, and always would be. He preferred to stay in the shadows, away from everyone, even now.

Jean-Luc smiled when he saw the handwriting on the envelope. It was a letter from Mattie, the only person who knew where he was. He opened the envelope and pulled out the scented paper.

The letter itself made Jean-Luc smile as well. 

"Dear Jean-Luc,

I know you told me to not contact you unless it was important, but I thought you should know about this.

Two weeks ago, Etienne came home and it looks like he's going to stay. Remy and Theoren decided to give him a second chance at his tilling, since Candra and the Pig interfered with the first one, so if he succeeds he will actually be a member of the Guild. It's really nice to have him back, everyone's happy about it, especially Theoren, who is just glad his brother's alive, and Emil, who's been planning a party since the day Etienne got here.

Etienne brought Claude's and Genard's younger sisters with him when he came. Danielle Potier and Victoria Alouette are two of the nicest young women I have ever met. They are so much like their brothers, it's almost scary. Dani decided to stick around for a few extra weeks, but Rory went home earlier today, and took Genard with her, so he could see their mother. He'll be back in a week or two, I'm not sure.

I'm not expecting a reply to this, since I know you don't want the others to know where you are, or that I have that information. It would have been nice if you could have been here, but maybe someday you'll get to see Etienne again and meet the girls. Anything is possible.

Love Mattie"

Jean-Luc read the letter over three times, and he kept smiling. He had always known Etienne would return to New Orleans eventually, and he was glad it had finally happened. Added to the fact that Claude and Genard had finally been able to meet their sisters, Jean-Luc figured the Guild members had a good two weeks.

'I wish I could have been there,' he thought with a sigh. 'I may have to go 'gainst de prophecies an' visit dem. I would love to see Etienne 'gain. Maybe someday…'

***

Los Angeles, CA, Present Day

"Genard, come here for a moment, I'd like to talk to you." Yvonne said, patting the spot on the couch beside her.

Genard shoved his glasses up on his nose, a move that was as natural to him as breathing, and sat down beside his mother.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

Yvonne sighed. "I wanted to tell you I'm sorry."

Genard thought for a few moments, trying to figure out what she had done in the past five days to warrant an apology. When he couldn't think of anything he looked at her, confused, and said "What for?"

"For leaving you."

It was Genard's turn to sigh. "You don' have to 'pologize for dat, Mom. I mean it was twenty-five years ago. Look, I won' lie to you. It hurt when you left…I was only a little kid, I didn't understand why you felt you had to leave. It took me a long time to figure it out, and if it hadn' been for Claude, I might not understand today."

"I shouldn't have left you, but I thought maybe your father would be angry with me." Yvonne told him.

"I don' know what he would have t'ought of dat. I know he missed you, an' I know he was upset dat he couldn' watch Rory grow up, but I t'ink he knew dat you were doin' what you t'ought was best for her. Maybe he even agreed wit' your logic. I know Claude an' his father did." Genard replied.

"Perhaps." Yvonne said softly. "But I am sorry. I've always regretted leaving you. I have to admit though, they did a very good job raising you. I'm not sure I could have done better."

"You did a good job with Rory." Genard commented. "It's rather ironic dat she an' I have totally opposite professions…"

"I didn't want Rory mixed up wit' de Guilds. Maybe I was wrong, but I wanted to keep her sheltered from that life. Nadine is worried that Dani will decide to stay there for good…"

Genard shook his head. "She won'. She jus' wanted to spend more time wit' Claude…perhaps away from Rory. She'll come back when she's ready to. Nadine doesn' have to worry."

***

New Orleans, LA, Present Day

"When are they going to come back?" Dani asked for the twelfth time.

Theoren looked at her. "Why are you so impatient? If Etienne fails at dis job, he can' join de Guild. I'm de one who should be impatient."

Dani rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. But I'm really excited. I hope he succeeds as much as you do."

"Can I ask you somet'ing?" Theoren asked, suddenly serious.

"Yeah, if you want. Go ahead." Dani replied, having a feeling she knew what Theo wanted to talk about. She had told him and the others the truth, that she was a cop, and while none of them had changed their attitudes towards her, they also hadn't talked about it with her. They avoided the topic like the plague, and were even careful not to say the words 'police' or 'cops' around her.

"Is dis awkward for you?" Theoren asked. "Bein' here, I mean."

"It can be. I don't fit in here, I'm not one of you and I never can be, while Etienne is the exact opposite." Dani said. "But even though it is a little difficult, I don't mind it as long as you guys don't."

"Oh it doesn' bother us, even though we might act a little weird around you. But isn' it hard to know what we do, an' not arrest us?" Theoren commented. "Seriously, you know what Et's doin' right now, an' it doesn' bother you?"

"Like I told Claude the other day, I'm willing to pretend I don't know anything because I like you guys. I can't say I'd do the same for the assassins, but you never know." Dani explained.

Emil walked in at that moment. "Dey back yet?"

"No." Dani replied. "Want to join us? We're waiting for them."

Emil flopped down on the loveseat. "Sure. What're we talkin' 'bout?"

"Dani bein' a cop." Theoren replied, watching his young friend sharply for a response. Emil didn't even blink.

"Ah. Is it hard?" he asked.

Dani looked at him, tilting her head. "Is what hard? Being a cop?"

"Well yeah…you mus' hate people like us."

"The only people I hate are murderers, rapists and child molesters…" Dani grinned. "People like you? Nah." 

"So," Emil said, sitting up and facing her, obviously getting intrigued by the conversation. "What kinds of cases do you handle de most?"

"Well, I work with the SIU, so we deal with murders, narcotics cases, things like that." Dani explained.

"Wait a minute. SIU, is dat like de one on 'Nash Bridges'?" Emil asked, eyes wide.

"Essentially, yes. But our offices aren't on a barge, and Don Johnson is a lot better looking than our Captain." Dani laughed. "You watch 'Nash'?"

"B'lieve it or not, an' as ironic as it seems," Theoren chuckled. "We never miss it. Well, except for de past three weeks, but dat doesn' count, we were sidetracked."

"I'm…speechless. It _is_ ironic. Wow." Dani said.

Mercy stuck her head in the doorway. "Dey're back, c'mon!"

Theoren, Dani and Emil jumped up from their seats and followed Mercy to the back of the safehouse, where Claude and Etienne were waiting with Remy and Zoe in the kitchen.

"Well?" Theoren and Emil demanded in unison. They couldn't wait another second to find out if Etienne had been successful in stealing a priceless jewel from a museum in Rome.

Etienne smiled and held up the jewel for everyone to see. "Ta-da!" 

"Woohoo!" Emil exclaimed. "You did it!"

"Oh Et, that's wonderful!" Dani said, hugging her friend. "I don't care if I'm a cop, I am very proud of you!"

"So are de rest of us. Congratulations Et." Mercy said.

A little while later, while Emil and Zoe were putting the final party plans together, Etienne went to talk to Dani in private.

Dani was sitting at the desk in her room, writing a letter to her mother. She looked up when Et joined her, watching him sit uncertainly on her bed.

"What's up, Et?" she asked, putting her pen down and swiveling to face him fully, a smile on her face.

"Did you mean what you said b'fore?" he questioned, a strange look in his eyes.

"Of course I did." Dani replied. "You accomplished something that means a lot to you, of course I'm proud of you."

"What do you t'ink Rory told Captain Garner 'bout me stayin' here for good?" Etienne wanted to know, his voice quiet.

"I don't know. I don't think she'll come out and tell him the truth, I mean if she did that, he'd end up calling the cops here and get them to arrest you and the others. She wouldn't do that."

"True. When do you t'ink Genard will come back?"

"When he gets homesick." Dani grinned. "Just like I'll go back to LA when _I_ start to feel like I've had enough of New Orleans."

"I'm glad you decided to stay for awhile. An' I know I'm not alone in feelin' dat way." Etienne smiled.

"So am I. I just wish California and Louisiana were closer so we could do it more often."

***

Tante Mattie stood in her kitchen and stared out the window, watching the sun set, a feeling of contentment in her heart. She could sense that, in spite of separations and adjustments, the people she cared about most in the world were happy. 

And knowing that those people were happy made Mattie happy as well. All she ever asked from God was that the people she loved were safe and happy. They may have been thieves, but they were good people, and they deserved to be happy. Mattie cared about the assassins too, but the thieves had always been her favorites and she never denied it. 

"All is well wit' de world." She whispered to the falling sun. "An' dat's jus' how it should be."

The End

(Author's Note: Sorry guys, but I had to end this story before I lost the inspiration for it. I do, however, plan on writing a sequel sometime, so if you liked Dani and Rory, they'll be showing up again in the future. And who knows? Maybe even Etienne will too. So don't worry. They're not going far. ~Quinn~)


End file.
